Not fun, but it needs to be done.
Day 2 for me of working on my income taxes.
I'm just grateful that both the federal and state governments delayed the tax filing deadlines.
Too much else going on in March, when I usually do my taxes.
Well I was watching for you in the other thread
I wondered where you had gone. Evidently, no where!
Well I was watching for you in the other thread
Before I address your questions, etc, it would be really helpful if, when you start a new thread, you can post a link to the previous thread in the very first post of the new one. That way, if we need to look back at something, we don’t have to search. To do that, copy the browser address of the old thread by just opening it. Then open a new thread, put your cursor in the text box, type anything like “Previous Thread” or “Last Thread” or the date of the last thread. Highlight it. Then in the toolbar above the text box, select the hyperlink icon which looks like a sideways paper clip. It’s the 7th icon from your left. When the box opens, paste the browser address you copied into the box. Click “insert”. You can go back and edit your first thread in this post to add it or let me know if you have issues and I can do it. Thanks!
I’m sorry the other day was tough for you but Deb is right that sometimes you need to get it out. That’s ok. This is an emotional disease and quite a roller coaster at times. It’s also natural to blame yourself and think you did something wrong. Still after all these years, I think if in my 64 years of living, if I could have ONE do over, it would be to never have let Gracie have the steroids. Of course, we don’t know what all is going on in their little bodies to predispose them to FD and what causes that tipping point. In other words, it isn’t your fault.
IMHO, Brady could be doing better if you could use the modified method. I’m not saying that to make you do something you don’t want to do but I’m just being honest. You are seeing more black because he’s getting closer to better numbers so he’s going to look a little bouncier. When he was mostly in pink and yellow or red numbers, his body was more used to those. Some kitties just bounce higher than others as they get into better numbers. You have to focus on the time he spends in better numbers....not the time he spends in quick bounces to black and then back down.
If he doesn’t seem to have any symptoms of anything, I don’t see any reason to spend money on additional labs right now. I also wouldn’t continue cerenia unless you know he needs it. If he’s past the pancreatitis and is doing well, and I k ow you’d say ens eating gangbusters, I’d see how he does without it. It doesn’t hurt to give long-term and it does act as an anti-inflammatory but ...why give if it he’s fine without it? But that’s up to you.
It depends on what the BG numbers are Pat, as to how often some testing at night would be needed. A +2 is a good test to always get, as it often tells you which direction the BG levels are headed.
It depends on what the BG numbers are Pat, as to how often some testing at night would be needed. A +2 is a good test to always get, as it often tells you which direction the BG levels are headed.
If Brady is running low, a few more tests will be needed. Running a bit higher, less testing is needed.
Overnight testing? I set an alarm to wake me up when Wink was running low or doing a dose change. I do NOT fall back to sleep easily, so that was really hard for me to do. I was still working at that point, so had to get up to get to work no matter if it was a sleepless night or not. I never ended up taking Wink to work with me, but it came pretty close a couple of times.
I also adjusted my shot times, to work better with my work schedule. Wink is at least part of the reason I'm now more of a morning person, than a night owl like I used to be.
You get good enough at testing, that when you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, you automatically grab a BG test and head back to bed. Both eyes may be a bit bleary eyed, not quite open all the way, for those late night tests, but you can still get a test done.
There are 2 people in your home that can test Brady, so one person can be the "responsible party" for testing 1 night and trade off with the other person for a different night.
Brainstorming here a bit Pat. Don't know what would or would not work for you and your wife.
I've never had a cat with Pancreatitis, so I'm no help with that part of your post.
Found this vet journal article on Pancreatitis. https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/current-issue-feline-acute-pancreatitis/
A short excerpt from that article follows.
"The Spec fPL assay (idexx.com) is a commercially available monoclonal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A study presented in abstract form estimated the sensitivity and specificity of this test for diagnosing feline pancreatitis at 79% and 82%, respectively.15
Concentration results are considered:
The Snap fPL (idexx.com) is a semiquantitative point-of-care test that can help rule out pancreatitis. A value of > 3.5 mcg/L is considered positive; therefore, a positive result must be confirmed by a Spec fPL assay.
- Diagnostic (positive) if ≥ 5.4 mcg/L
- A gray zone if > 3.5 mcg/L and < 5.4 mcg/L
- Negative if ≤ 3.5 mcg/L.
With both tests, positive results must be interpreted in light of other clinical information, rather than considered an endpoint of diagnostic evaluation. After an episode of pancreatitis, the duration of fPL increase has not been reported."
Since the results you gave us are all in the gray zone, I'm not sure that Brady still needs to be on the cerenia.
Just so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, Sienne, who has access to the medical library at OSU because she teaches at the university and in the hospital, researched Somogyi at length and wrote this:
And I say this to you as one who had the reputation of being a most impatient newbie.
This is really disheartening that a vet in this day and age is so far behind the curve on treating diabetic cats. I have to say that when I went to my vet and told her I wanted to switch to Levemir, she did not say, “I only use Lantus”. She took the time to investigate it and then wrote me a prescription. She also then said that she had learned more about FD from working with Gracie and me than she ever learned in vet school.
He has has a few nadirs below 150 but not many and he doesn’t hold onto the blue for long. Personally, I would not wait. I’d increase his dose to 3u in the morning unless you see a long string of blue or green tonight or wake up to a blue AMPS.
Patience, Grasshopper
we typically split the difference to walk it back.
Don’t panic. He’s almost at mid-cycle and I saw he’s flat after 15 mins.
Pat